Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 7/18/2023
The transcript of our weekly Tuesday chat can be accessed here.
Join Luke Adams for our next live chat on Thursday.
Montrezl Harrell Returns To Sixers On One-Year Deal
JULY 18: Harrell has officially re-signed with the Sixers, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
JULY 6: Free agent big man Montrezl Harrell is returning to the Sixers on a one-year contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter).
Harrell became a free agent when he declined his veteran’s minimum-salary option for next season. He settled for another veteran’s minimum contract that’s fully guaranteed, Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice tweets.
Because Harrell’s option salary had been based on a 5% raise and the cap increased by 10%, his new salary ($2.89MM) will top the one he would’ve received on his old contract ($2.76MM), so he made the right call to opt out. Philadelphia will carry a $2.02MM cap hit for the 29-year-old in 2023/24.
Harrell appeared in 57 games for the Sixers in 2022/23, averaging 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per night. He only appeared in two postseason games.
Prior to last season, Harrell had posted career averages of 12.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 21.5 MPG across 458 games, earning Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2020. His numbers this past season were his lowest since his rookie year (2015/16).
Harrell will once again fight for rotation minutes in Philadelphia, this time with Nick Nurse making those decisions.
The agreement between Harrell and the Sixers puts into question the status of restricted free agent Paul Reed. Philadelphia is adding another big man, Mohamed Bamba, on a one-year deal.
Atlantic Notes: Harden, Jokubaitis, Udofia, Andrade, Scrubb
A rift between James Harden and Sixers management stems from a disagreement over how his free agency was handled this summer, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. While Harden and his reps don’t appear to have any ill will toward his teammates, the rift with management could get even uglier.
The relationship between Harden and top executive Daryl Morey is “essentially fractured,” Shams Charania said on The Rally (Twitter link). Harden believes Philadelphia never had any intention to give him a long-term offer. Harden turned down a $47MM+ player option and took a $14MM+ pay cut last summer to help the Sixers make roster moves.
In terms of moving Harden, the front office is holding out for a package that will allow the Sixers to remain a serious contender in the East, according to Neubeck. If they can’t get a top player in return, they at least want to pick up enough assets to execute a separate trade for another high-level player.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Rokas Jokubaitis, a Lithuanian guard whose rights are held by the Knicks, had the option on his contract picked up by FC Barcelona, according to BasketNews.com. He played all 39 games in the EuroLeague last season and averaged 5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. The Knicks made Jokubaitis a draft-and-stash second-round pick in 2021.
- The G League’s Long Island Nets are hiring Mfon Udofia as the team’s head coach, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Udofia previously coached with the Nigerian National Team and was on the staff of the G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers last season.
- Former WNBA player Mery Andrade is spending the summer as a Celtics coaching intern and hopes to work her way up the NBA coaching ranks, she told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. She has been an assistant coach with Birmingham, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, for the last four seasons. “I want after my career as a coach that people, when they talk about me, is how many lives I touched, how good of a coach I was without putting the label ‘woman,’” she said. “Yes I am a woman but I don’t say, ‘You are a really good male coach.’ You are just a really good coach. That’s my goal, to touch as many lives as I can.”
- Jay Scrubb, who signed a two-way contract with the Celtics on Saturday, received the top grade in The Athletic’s Jared Weiss’ Summer League report card.
Jerome Robinson To Sign Camp Deal With Warriors
Free agent guard Jerome Robinson has agreed to a training camp deal with the Warriors, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Robinson will compete for a regular season roster spot, according to Wojnarowski.
Golden State currently has two spots open on its 15-man roster, though the Warriors are likely to carry only 14 players on standard contracts due to their luxury tax issues.
Robinson has played with the Warriors’ G League affiliate, Santa Cruz, in each of the past two years. Robinson was a 2018 lottery pick for the Clippers but was traded during his second season to the Wizards. He hasn’t played an NBA game since the 2020/21 season, when he made 17 appearances with Washington. Overall, he has appeared in 113 NBA games, including 12 starts.
Robinson has averaged 4.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.2 minutes per game during those NBA games. He averaged 14.8 points, 4.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game during 24 regular-season games with Santa Cruz last season.
Central Notes: Stewart, Thompson, Morris, Sasser, Terry, Bucks
Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson and Monte Morris could make surprising contributions for the Pistons next season, James Edwards III of The Athletic opines. Edwards believes Stewart will develop into a solid outside shooter. He also sees Summer League standout Thompson becoming a fan favorite with his overall contributions, while Morris could be the team’s best backup point man in over a decade.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Marcus Sasser, the Pistons’ other first-round pick, overcame his offensive struggles in previous Summer League games with a 40-point, five-assist, zero-turnover performance on Sunday. Sasser will need to continue making shots to stand out in Detroit’s crowded backcourt, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press, but he also displayed good man-to-man defensive skills and could be a two-way factor.
- Bulls second-year guard Dalen Terry admits he had a “tough summer league” but he finished strong, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic points out. He had 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including four 3-pointers, and added five rebounds and four assists in his last game. “Obviously, I haven’t had a great summer league. And, in this game, I just had to forget all about it and just keep going,” Terry said during an ESPN interview.
- The Bucks are operating over the second tax apron when unlikely incentives for Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen and Khris Middleton are added in, plus A.J. Green‘s contract counts toward the apron as the two-year minimum of $2,019,763 rather the cap sheet hit of $1,901,769. The Athletic’s John Hollinger and Eric Nehm provide a full explanation of the Bucks’ tax apron situation, noting that the only limit placed on Milwaukee this season as a result of being over the second apron is not being able to use the taxpayer mid-level exception.
Nuggets Re-Sign Collin Gillespie On Two-Way Deal
The Nuggets have retained Collin Gillespie on a two-way deal, according to the NBA’s transactions log.
Gillespie suffered a lower left leg fracture last summer but still received a two-way contract and remained on Denver’s roster despite the injury. The Nuggets extended him a qualifying offer last month, making him a restricted free agent.
An undrafted guard out of Villanova, Gillespie averaged 15.6 PPG for the Wildcats in his final college season, shooting 41.5% from three-point range. Gillespie averaged 11.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.3 APG and 1.5 SPG in four Summer League contests last year before sustaining the injury.
He saw action in four Summer League games this month, averaging 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.4 steals in 29.7 minutes per game.
With Gillespie back in the fold, the Nuggets have filled their three two-way spots. Forward Braxton Key and center Jay Huff will reportedly take the other two spots, though those transactions aren’t yet official.
Jazz Sign Former Heat Center Omer Yurtseven
The Jazz have signed former Heat center Omer Yurtseven, according to a team press release.
It’s a two-year contract with a starting salary of $2.8MM, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, Utah had $2,841,448 cap space remaining and apparently used it to sign the Turkish big man (Twitter link).
The seven-foot Yurtseven is entering his third NBA season. He has averaged 5.2 points on 53.3% shooting and 4.9 rebounds in 65 career games (12 starts). He has also appeared in 17 postseason contests the past two seasons.
Yurtseven became an unrestricted free agent when Miami declined to extend him a qualifying offer. Yurtseven’s QO was only worth a projected $2.22MM but the Heat, burdened by luxury tax issues, chose to let him test the market.
Yurtseven projects as the third center behind Walker Kessler and Kelly Olynyk. Utah had been in the market to improve its frontcourt depth. The club made an offer sheet to restricted free agent Paul Reed but the Sixers matched it.
Raptors Waive Joe Wieskamp Before Contract Guarantee
The Raptors have waived Joe Wieskamp, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets.
Toronto now has one open roster spot and is $3.96MM below the luxury tax threshold.
The 23-year-old swingman, who signed with Toronto in February, agreed to move the guarantee date for his $1.927MM salary for next season from June 29 to July 18. The Raptors ultimately decided on roster flexibility rather than guaranteeing Wieskamp’s contract.
He only appeared in nine games with Toronto last season and averaged just 5.6 minutes in those appearances. During previous season, he saw action in 29 games off the bench for San Antonio, which drafted him with the No. 41 pick in 2021 out of Iowa.
Wieskamp appeared in four Summer League contests this month and averaged 13.5 points in 23.9 minutes per game. The team’s decision was anticipated, given that the Raptors drafted another wing, Gradey Dick, in the lottery.
Sixers Add Council, Tubelis, Smith On Two-Way Deals
JULY 17: The two-way deal for Tubelis is official, the team announced in a press release.
JULY 1: The Sixers have officially signed Council and Smith.
JUNE 23: The new CBA will allow for three two-way contracts and the Sixers wasted no time filling those spots.
Philadelphia are offering contracts to three undrafted players. Arkansas guard Ricky Council IV will take one of those spots, Shams Charania of The Athletic and The Stadium tweets. Arizona big man Azuolas Tubelis and North Carolina State Terquavion Smith are also being signed on two-way deals, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com tweets.
Council, a 6’6” guard, averaged 16.3 points for the Razorbacks last season after transferring from Wichita State. His spotty perimeter game (3o.3% on 3-point tries in his college career) hurt his draft stock.
Tubelis, a three-year starter for the Wildcats, averaged 19.8 points and 9.1 rebounds last season. Smith averaged 17.9 points and 4.1 assists for the Wolfpack in his sophomore season.
Additionally, the Sixers are signing Arizona State forward Marcus Bagley on an Exhibit 10 contract. Bagley played only five games the past two seasons due to injuries and a suspension.
Southeast Notes: Vanterpool, Robinson, Magic Trade, Vukcevic
The Wizards are hiring David Vanterpool as an assistant coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. He’ll join Wes Unseld Jr.‘s staff after stops with Brooklyn, Minnesota and Portland. Vanterpool has also interviewed for a number of head coaching jobs in recent years. He didn’t coach in the league last season after he was let go by the Nets following the 2021/22 season.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Orlando Robinson had his two-way contract upgraded to a standard deal at the beginning of the month and it appears to be a prudent move by the Heat. Robinson thrived during Summer League action, as The Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang notes. Robinson averaged 20.5 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 53% from the field. He also showed an improved 3-point shot, making 8-of-21 in six games.
- The Magic felt comfortable trading away second-round picks to the Suns because they have a large stash of draft assets, Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Orlando has eight first-round picks and 12 second-rounders through the next seven drafts. In a trade that’s not yet official, the Magic are sending Phoenix three second-rounders to have the right to swap their own 2026 first-rounder for the least favorable of Phoenix’s and Washington’s two picks. Orlando is essentially gambling on its own future success.
- Tristan Vukcevic, drafted in the second round by the Wizards, has another option for next season if he doesn’t play in the NBA, Eurohoops.net relays. The Serbian center could be loaned out to Greece’s Peristeri after playing for Partizan Belgrade last season. SDNA’s Sotiris Betakis first reported the news. Vukcevic has played the past week for Washington’s Summer League squad.